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Drag

1. To draw slowly or heavily onward; to pull along the ground by main force; to haul; to trail; applied to drawing heavy or resisting bodies or those inapt for drawing, with labour, along the ground or other surface; as, to drag stone or timber; to drag a net in fishing. Dragged by the cords which through his feet were thrust. (Denham) The grossness of his nature will have weight to drag thee down. (Tennyson) A needless Alexandrine ends the song That, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along. (Pope)

2. To break, as land, by drawing a drag or harrow over it; to harrow; to draw a drag along the bottom of, as a stream or other water; hence, to search, as by means of a drag. Then while i dragged my brains for such a song. (Tennyson)

3. To draw along, as something burdensome; hence, to pass in pain or with difficulty. Have dragged a lingering life. (Dryden) to drag an anchor, to trail it along the bottom when the anchor will not hold the ship.

Synonym: see Draw.

Origin: oe. Draggen; akin to Sw. Dragga to search with a grapnel, fr. Dragg grapnel, fr. Draga to draw, the same word as E. Draw. See Draw.

1. To be drawn along, as a rope or dress, on the ground; to trail; to be moved onward along the ground, or along the bottom of the sea, as an anchor that does not hold.

2. To move onward heavily, laboriously, or slowly; to advance with weary effort; to go on lingeringly. The day drags through, though storms keep out the sun. (Byron) Long, open panegyric drags at best. (Gay)

3. To serve as a clog or hindrance; to hold back. A propeller is said to drag when the sails urge the vessel faster than the revolutions of the screw can propel her. (Russell)

4. To fish with a dragnet.

1. The act of dragging; anything which is dragged.

2. A net, or an apparatus, to be drawn along the bottom under water, as in fishing, searching for drowned persons, etc.

3. A kind of sledge for conveying heavy bodies; also, a kind of low car or handcart; as, a stone drag.

4. A heavy coach with seats on top; also, a heavy carriage.

5. A heavy harrow, for breaking up ground.

6. Anything towed in the water to retard a ships progress, or to keep her head up to the wind; especially, a canvas bag with a hooped mouth, so used. See drag sail (below). Also, a skid or shoe, for retarding the motion of a carriage wheel.

Hence, anything that retards; a clog; an obstacle to progress or enjoyment. My lectures were only a pleasure to me, and no drag. (j. D. Forbes)

7. Motion affected with slowness and difficulty, as if clogged. Had a drag in his walk.

8. The bottom part of a flask or mold, the upper part being the cope.

9. A steel instrument for completing the dressing of soft stone.

10. (Science: engineering) The difference between the speed of a screw steamer under sail and that of the screw when the ship outruns the screw; or between the propulsive effects of the different floats of a paddle wheel. See Citation under drag. Drag sail, a spiral hook at the end of a rod for cleaning drilled holes.

See: drag, and cf. Dray a cart, and 1st dredge.